On March 10, Texas A&M University-Commerce will celebrate its centennial as a public institution of higher education. The small, private college originally known as East Texas Normal College began as a privately funded teacher’s college in Cooper, Texas. Through the visionary efforts of founder William Leonidas Mayo, the college’s appeal to become a state institution was granted by the state legislature in the spring of 1917. Professor Mayo’s long-held dream of making a college education an affordable reality for Texans was realized, but Mayo did not live to learn of his triumph. The telegram announcing the good news arrived minutes after Mayo’s passing.

We will honor our 100 years of history as Lions with a number of events designed to celebrate our institution’s history and how we are going to make our next 100 years even more inspiring. Please join us at 9:30 a.m. on the lawn of Heritage House for a morning rich with new music, food, fun and an exciting look at where our great university has been and what the future holds for our next century as Lions.